Label-attaching seam



Sept. 27 1927. 1,643,406

J. S. FINCH LABEL ATTACHI NG SEAM Filed Aug. 25, 1925 tic/m Jfinc/z BYz 16 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 27, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. FINCH, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNCR TO THE SINGER MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

LABEL-ATTAGHING SEAM.

Application filed August 25, 1925. Serial No. 52,266.

This invention relates to improvements in the attaching of labels and similar articles to body materials by means of sewing machines and has for its primary object to facilitate the handling of the work in the overseaining of the intersecting label-margins and; to enhance the sightliness of the product.

In attaching labels'to body-materials by means of a sewing machine it has been a common practice to overseam the label-ends only, or to secure the sides of the label by straightaway stitches and to overseam the ends thereof. To overseam the intersecting sides of a label on an ordinary zigzag-stitch sewing machine, it would be necessary to turn the work at each of theintersecting points of the label margins, as will be self-evident, due to the fact that the needle or the work is caused to vibrate in a line at'a right-angle to the line of feed of the work. This is manifestly a cumbersome operation and would be particularly so in an automatic label-attaching machine. i

In accordance with the present invention, there may be employed a stitch-forming mechanism of any well known type ofzig- Zag-stitch sewing machine in which a reciprocating needle and the work are relatively shifted in a fixed path to produce overseaming stitches. The work, comprising a label and the body material to which it is to be attached, are advanced 'past the needle in the direction of a label margin to be overseamed, which label margin is disposed at an acute angle with respect to the fixed path referred to,-and then the succeeding label margins are advanced past the needle in like manner by successively changing the direction of feed to the directions of the margins to be overseamed. By feeding the work in this manner, the resulting overseaming stitches are so formed that straight lines passing through the joining point of adjacent stitches on one label margin and bisecting a straight line connecting the opposite ends of the same stitches are parallel with similar lines of adjacent stitches on an intersecting label margin. Furthermore, the stitches along each label margin are alternately long and short and form a seam of uniform width throughout saidmargin. By overseaming the label margins in this manner it is unnecessary to turn the work at the label corners and the stitching may be continuedfrom one label margin to another by merely changing the direction of feed. A preferred inclination of the label margin with respect to the plane of needle-vibration ance may be obtained by changing the extent of feed of the work between stitches to space the stitches differently along different sides of the label.

in the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a label attached to a body material by overseam stitches formed according to the present improved method. Fig. 2 1s a similar view, but with the stitches closely grouped along the label ends and more widely spaced along the sides of the label. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view, partly in section, of a portion of the seam of F g. l. Figs. a and 5 are diagrammatic views illustrating the formation of, differentlyangled seams Referring to the drawings, a rectangular label 1 usually having folded-under ends, as 2, and solved sides 3 is attached to a body material 4 by zigzag or ov-erseaming stitches of common construction formed by interlocking a needle-thread 5 and an underthread 6. Any stitch-forming mechanism of the well known types of zigzag-stitch sewing machines may be employed, it being very common in sewing machines to laterally "vibrate a reciprocating needle in a fixed path relatively to the work or to vibrate the work in a fixed path relatively to a reciprocating needle to effect the formation of zigzag stitches. The feature of the present invention resides in advancing the work past the needle in the direction of a label-margin which is disposed at an acute angle with respect to the fixed path of, for instance, nee dle vibration. In Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings, there is shown a diagrammatic view illustrating the method of form ing overseaming stitches across straight lines AB and BD, representing label-margins, intersecting at right angles and wherein said lines aredisposed at an angle of 45 with respect to the line E-F representin the fixed path of vibration of the needle 0 I or of the work. It will be observed that as gles. This eiiect is obtained by successively feeding the work in the directions indicated by the arrows on the lines f r-B and BD, thereby producing stitches having a uniformity of angular relationship not attained by the methods heretofore practised. A feature of the improved attaching seam is that straightlines O-N passing through the common needle-punctures N of adjacent stitches S and bisecting at O a straight line through the opposite ends of the same stitches will be parallel on both seam-lines AB and B-D, and this regardless of the selected acute-angle of feed or the angle of intersection ofthe straight feed-lines.

The illustration in Fig. 5 differs from that of Fig. 1 in thatthe feed line A--B is disposed at an angle of 60 with respect to the line EF of needle vibration, while the line B-D is disposed at an angle of 30thereto. It will be observed, however, that as in Fig. i, the lines U-N of Fig. 5 are all parallel to each other, that the stitches are alternately relatively long and short on each seam-line and that the component stitches of each margin form a seam of uniform width. v

' The angular relationship of the stitches with respect to the label-1nargins depends not, only upon the angular relationship of the lines AB or BD with respect to the line EF, but also upon the extent of feed of the work between stitches. This is illus trated in Fig. 2 wherein the stitches are closely grouped along the label ends 2 by a short feed of the work, while along the sides?) of the label a relatively longerfeed is employed. By the combination of selected acute-angles of feed of the work with variations in the extent of feed, labels or similar articles of different outlines maybe readily attached to a body material in the present improved manner with pleasing effect and without the cumbersome heretofore required. y

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is 1. The inethodof attaching a label and Work-handling like article to a bodymaterial by label-eolge with respect to the initial direction offeed of the work throughout the overseaming of the successive label-margins.

2. A label having intersecting margins at tached to a body material byan angular seam of zigzag stitches crossing the labelinargins, which zigzag stitches along each label-margin are alternately relatively long and short and form a seam of uniform Width tliroughout said margin. 7

A label having intersecting margins attached to a body material by an angular seam of zigzag stitches crossing said margins, in which zigzag stitches straight lines passing through the joining point of adjacent stitches on one label-margin and bisecting a straight line connecting theopposite ends of the same stitches are parallel with similar lines on an intersecting labelmargin.

4:. A label having intersecting margins attached to a body material by an angular seam of zigzag stitches crossing said margins, which zigzag stitches along each labelmargin are alternately relatively long and short and form a seam of uniform width throughout said margin, the stitches along one label-margin being grouped more closelythan on an adjacent margin.

In testimony whereof, I name to this specification.

JOHN s. FINCH,

have signed my 

